Device and method for attaching a tag to a tool

ABSTRACT

An identification device adapted to be attached to a tool comprising a holder formed as a curved stratum having a C-shaped cross-section, the stratum having at least one opening thereon, and the internal surface of the holder being micro-etched; an identification tag placed within the holder; and hardening material for fixing the identification tag within the holder. 
     The identification device is created from a holder, shaped as a curved stratum having a C-shaped cross-section and at least one opening thereon, micro-etching the internal surface of the holder; and fixing an identification tag within the holder by a hardening material. Fixing the tag within the holder may comprise placing the holder within a container; filling the holder to about half the height with a hardening material; placing the identification tag within the holder; filling the holder with the hardening material; and hardening the hardening material.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to attaching a small object to a tool ingeneral, and to attaching an RFID-tag to a metal tool, in particular.

BACKGROUND

There are many environments in which multiple tools and disposables areused, including for example operation rooms, hangars, garages, or thelike.

An operation room is a facility in which intrusive operations areperformed on patients. Typically, multiple people participate in anoperation, including a chief surgeon, sometimes an assistant surgeon, ananesthesiologist, a scrub nurse, and a circulating nurse. Theparticipating personnel members use multiple tools, such as scalpels,forceps, and others, varying according to the surgery being performed.

Intensive efforts are invested in keeping track of all tools anddisposables, in order to make sure no tool unintentionally remainsinside the patient's body. Therefore careful counting is performedbefore, during and after the operation.

Counting the tools is a tedious job and requires intensive resources,including mental resources, personnel time and down-time of theoperating room. Counting the tools towards the end of an operation alsoincreases the time the patient's body is open with the associated risks.

In addition, counting is not always error-free, and in too many casestools end up being left within the patient's body, causing severedamages and even death.

Another problem relates to the life cycle of tools. For example, thetools used in an operation have to be sanitized or sterilized prior tofurther usage. Other constraints may relate to maintenance operationsrequired for the tools, for example, a blade may have to be sharpenedafter every predetermined number of operations in which it is used. Inanother example, tools that have been used in an operation performed ona patient with a contiguous disease may require extra sterilizationbefore further usage, or the like. Making sure that each tool is usedand maintained properly also imposes expenses and requires resources,including record keeping and tracking, manual labor and the like.

It would be useful to use a computerized system for counting andtracking the tools. However, such system has to uniquely identify eachtool. In order to identify tools, a Radio Frequency (RF) identificationtransducer can be used, which can identify tools by suitable RF tagsattached thereto.

However, attaching such tags to tools imposes a number of challenges.Since the tool is used in an operating room, the whole structure,including the tool, the tag and the connection there between have to bebiocompatible. Further, the tag and its attachment to the tool have towithstand at least the number of sterilization the tool is required towithstand, so as not to make the tool unusable prematurely. There isthus a need in the art for a biocompatible and sterilization-resistantidentification tag to be attached to a surgery tool, and a method forproducing such tag and attaching it to a surgery tool.

SUMMARY

An identification device adapted to be attached to a tool and method forgenerating the same.

A first aspect of the disclosure relates to an identification deviceadapted to be attached to a tool, comprising: a holder formedsubstantially as a curved stratum having a C-shaped cross-section, theholder having external surface and internal surface, the stratum havingat least one opening thereon, and the internal surface of the holderbeing micro-etched; an identification tag placed within the holder; andhardening material for fixing the identification tag within the holder.The identification device can further comprise an elevation componentplaced within the holder such as to avoid exposure of the identificationtag. Within the identification device, the hardening material isoptionally a bio compatible material. Within the identification device,the identification tag is optionally a radio frequency (RF)identification tag. Within the identification device, the externalsurface and the internal surface are optionally substantiallyconcentric.

Another aspect of the disclosure relates to a method for producing anidentification device, comprising: obtaining a holder, substantiallyshaped as a curved stratum having a C-shaped cross-section, the holderhaving an external surface and an internal surface, the stratum havingat least one opening thereon; micro-etching the internal surface of theholder; and fixing an identification tag within the holder by ahardening material. Within the method, obtaining the holder optionallycomprises: obtaining a rectangular piece having an at least one openingthereon; and curving the rectangular piece so as to form a C-shape.Within the method, micro-etching the internal surface of the holderoptionally comprises: attaching a coating layer to the external surfaceof the holder; exposing the internal surface of the holder to an etchingliquid flowing through the holder; and removing the coating layer fromthe external surface of the holder. Within the method fixing theidentification tag within the holder optionally comprises: placing theholder within a container on a curved rim of the holder; filling theholder to about half the height with a hardening material; placing theidentification tag within the holder; filling the holder to its heightwith the hardening material; and hardening the hardening material. Themethod can further comprise placing an elevation component within theholder before placing the identification tag. The method can furthercomprise polishing excess hardening material from the identificationdevice. The method can further comprise washing the identificationdevice. Within the method, the identification tag is optionally a radiofrequency identification tag. Within the method, the hardening materialis optionally a bio compatible material. The method can further compriseattaching the identification device to a tool. Within the methodattaching the identification device to a tool optionally comprises:milling the tool at a location determined for the identification device;and welding the identification device to the tool.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will be understood and appreciated more fully fromthe following detailed description taken in conjunction with thedrawings in which corresponding or like numerals or characters indicatecorresponding or like components. Unless indicated otherwise, thedrawings provide exemplary embodiments or aspects of the disclosure anddo not limit the scope of the disclosure. In the drawings:

FIGS. 1A and 1B are top views of raw material from which a tag holder isprepared, in accordance with the disclosure;

FIG. 1C is a top view of a board from which multiple rectangular piecesfor preparing tag holders are produced, in accordance with thedisclosure;

FIG. 2A is a perspective view of a holder, in accordance with thedisclosure;

FIG. 2B is a schematic view of an instrument used for masking theexternal side of holders, with the holders, in accordance with thedisclosure;

FIG. 3A is a side elevation view of a container for embedding a tagwithin a holder, in accordance with the disclosure;

FIG. 3B is a perspective view of a holder with a tag, in accordance withthe disclosure;

FIG. 3C is an elevation view of the holder and tag, in accordance withthe disclosure;

FIG. 4 is a schematic illustration of an exemplary tool with attachedidentification device, in accordance with the disclosure; and

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of the main steps in a method for generating anidentification tag and attaching the same to a surgery tool, inaccordance with the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The disclosure relates to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/369,762,filed on Feb. 12, 2009, the full content of which are hereinincorporated by reference.

The following disclosure relates to a biocompatible andsterilization-resistant identification tag to be attached to a surgerytool, and a method for attaching such tag to a surgery tool. Thecommunication and identification capabilities are provided by acommercially available tag that can communicate with a correspondingtransducer, such as a Radio Frequency (RF) identification tag, forexample, SLi-L D8mm Type E from Sokymat Automotive. The tag itself hasto be sterilization resistant, and to be able to withstand at leastabout 200 sterilization cycles so as not to prematurely limit theusability of the tool it is attached to.

In order to attach the tag to a metal tool such as scissors used duringsurgery, a welding process is required. Therefore, the tag has to beembedded or otherwise constantly inserted into a holder. Such holdermust not limit the tag's ability to communicate with the transducer.Further, the exposed parts of the tag must be coated with abiocompatible material, so that if the tag comes in contact with thepatient, no harm is done to the tag or the patient.

In some embodiments, the holder is generated from a rectangular metalpiece, pressed so as to form a ring. However, a gap is left between thering's ends, i.e., the ring is “open”, in order to enable RFcommunication between the tag embedded within the ring and thetransducer.

In some embodiments, the rectangular metal piece contains holes, slots,or other openings, to provide better resistance to press or other forcesand provide better gripping of the material that will fill the ring, asdetailed below.

Then the inner part of the open ring may undergo micro-etching or otherroughening, also in order to improve the gripping of the fillingmaterial. Micro-etching relates to etching a surface, but not as much asto create an opening thereon, but rather so as to increase its surfacearea.

In order to place the tag within the holder, the folder is put inside acontainer so that its rims are parallel to the container bottom, and itsgap is perpendicular to the container bottom. Liquid bio-compatiblehardening material such as glue is poured until about half the height ofthe holder, then a solid object used for elevation is placed within thering so that the tag does not sink to the bottom of the holder, and itis assured that it is not exposed but rather covered on all sides bybiocompatible materials, being the bumper of the hardening material.Then the tag itself is placed above the solid object. Then more glue ispoured until the glue level reaches the upper rim of the holder.

The whole structure is then heated or undergoes another process thatcures the hardening material. After the glue has cured, the holder ispolished so as to remove the glue from its external surface and toremove glue exceeding above the holder's top rim. The holder containingthe tag is then washed and is ready to be attached to a tool.

In order to attach the holder to the tool, an appropriate location onthe tool is determined, so as to minimize the required adaptations. Thedestination area is corroded or milled so as to prepare the surface ofthe tool to which the holder will be welded. Preparing the surfaceincludes adaptation as much as possible of the outliner of the tool tothe part of the holder that will be attached to the tool, as well asroughing the surface in order to improve the gripping. Once the tool isready, the holder is welded to the tool.

Referring now to FIG. 1A and FIG. 1B, showing top views of twoembodiments of the raw material from which the holder is prepared. Theholder is generally prepared from a rectangular piece ofsterilization-resistant material which has high resistance againstcorrosion and rust, such as stainless steel SS304L. The L implies thatthe material is low carbon, which makes it more resistance againstcorrosion and rust than regular stainless steel. The size of therectangular piece is determined so as its wide size 104 is slightlysmaller than the perimeter of the tag, and its height 108 equals to atleast the height of tag plus a few millimeters. The thickness of therectangular piece is determined so as it is soft enough to be bent, butstrong enough not to be misshaped by incidental contact. For example,thickness of about 0.5 mm to 2 mm can be used.

The rectangular piece contains at least one hole, slot, notch or anotheropening thereon, to increase the mechanical adhesiveness between themetal open ring generated from the rectangular piece and the tag placedtherein as detailed below.

In the exemplary embodiments of FIG. 1A and FIG. 1B the rectangularpiece indicated 100 is of about 28 mm width by about 3 mm height and isabout 0.5 mm thick. These dimensions are appropriate for holding a taghaving a radius of about 8.5 mm and height of about 1 mm.

The rectangular piece of FIG. 1A has thereon three diagonal rectangularnotches 112, each having dimensions of about 1 mm×about 2 mm. Therectangular piece of FIG. 1B has thereon two horizontal rectangularnotches 116, each having dimensions of about 1 mm×about 11 mm.

It will be appreciated that the notch patterns of FIG. 1A and FIG. 1Bare exemplary only, and that patterns having different number ofnotches, or different shapes, sizes or directions of notches can be usedas well.

Referring now to FIG. 1C, showing a top view of an exemplary embodimentof a board from which multiple rectangular pieces are produced.

The board is initially manufactured as a plain board, having therequired thickness for the rectangular pieces such as those shown inFIG. 1A and FIG. 1B above.

A mask having the required shape is placed on each side of the board.The mask is shaped as the rectangular pieces, in which the notches areexposed, and the spaces between the rectangular pieces are exposed aswell, excluding thin stripes. After the masks are placed over the twosides of the board, the board and the masks are entered into a liquidwhich etches the board at all its areas which are not covered by themask. The board is then washed. Thus, after the etching and washing, theboard contains a mesh of rectangular pieces, connected to each other bythin stripes which are easily broken so as to separate the pieces.

Referring now to FIG. 1C, showing a preferred embodiment of the boardfrom which the rectangular pieces are produced. The board comprises amultiplicity of rectangular pieces such as 120, 124. Each rectangularpiece has the required notches, slots or other openings, such as notches128, 132 and 136 of piece 120.

It will be appreciated that a particular board can be masked so as togenerate rectangular pieces of various sizes, or various notch patterns.

Once the rectangular pieces are available, each rectangular piece iscurved, for example by pressing, so as to round its wide side and createa substantially ring-shaped object. In order to produce the object, theshort sides of the piece are brought close to each other, but are not incontact, so as to produce a ring-like object having a gap between itssides. The gap is between about 0.1 mm wide and about 5 mm wide.

The cross section of the holder can be substantially rounded, or it canhave any other shape, so as to be easily fit to any tool. However, theholder's area should accommodate the tag.

Referring now to FIG. 2A, showing a perspective view of an exemplaryholder 200, generally shaped as a curved stratum, such as therectangular piece of FIG. 1A, and having a cross-section which issubstantially C-shaped.

Holder's height 204 is height 108 of the rectangular piece, which isabout 3 mm in the exemplary embodiment. Holder 200 is substantiallyC-shaped, or formed as an open ring, having a radius of about 4.3 mm,and has a gap 208 of about 1 mm between its two ends. The gap isintended to allow radio frequency radiation to reach the tag embeddedwithin the holder. The holder has external surface 216 and internalsurface 212.

It will be appreciated that the holder can be produced in other ways andshapes, as long as it can accommodate a relevant identification tag, andhas an opening that allows RF communication to and from theidentification tag. In some embodiments, the internal and externalsurfaces of the holder are shaped like a part of a circle, and may beconcentric.

In order to micro-etch the holder on its internal surface, it isrequired to cover the external surface of the holder with a mask.

Referring now to FIG. 2B, showing a schematic view of an exemplaryembodiment of an instrument used for masking the external side ofholders, with holders placed thereon.

The instrument, generally referenced 220, has a substantiallycylindrical body 224 and an elongated protruding part 228 attached tocylindrical body 224. Cylindrical body 224 is shaped such that a crosssection taken perpendicularly to the height of the cylinder has the sameshape as a cross section taken perpendicularly to the height of holder200. Protruding part 228 is shaped and located such that its connectionto cylindrical body 224 has a width identical to gap 208 of holder 200.

This structure enables the threading of multiple rings such as holders200 on instrument 220, so that the internal surface of each holder is infull contact with the cylindrical body 224 of instrument 220. It will beappreciated that in some embodiments, holders 200 are placed densely oninstrument 220, so that no gap is formed between two adjacent holders.

Instrument 220, together with the holders is coated with glue or anyother material that hardens and can then hold the holders together in ashape of a pipe, while covering their external side. Alternatively,instrument 220, together with the holders is covered by a flexiblelayer, such as a silicone layer which exerts pressure on the holders.

Instrument 220 is then pulled out or otherwise removed, so that theholders form a pipe shape, and their external surface is masked.

It will be appreciated that any other method for holding the holderstogether in a pipe shape, while covering their external surface can beused.

The holder pipe is then inserted into a container. A liquid capable ofetching the material of the holders is flown into the container. Theholder pipe is placed in the container such that the liquid flowsthrough the pipe, i.e., the liquid flows in the direction perpendicularto a line connecting one opening of the pipe with the other opening.

In some embodiments the material flown inside the container and used formicro-etching SS304 may contain, for example, sulfuric acid, oxalicacid, or distilled water. When the holders are made of SS304L, theliquid may require the addition of hydrochloric acid to the materialused for etching SS304.

The etching material leaves the internal surface of the holders rugged,so that the glue that holds the tag within the holder penetrates intothe sponge-like structure and thus has better grip.

After the micro-etching the masking layer covering the external surfaceof the holders is removed, and the holders are washed.

Once the holder is ready, the tag can be embedded within.

Referring now to FIG. 3A, showing a side elevation view of the containerused for embedding the tag within the holder, and the used components.

The holder is put in a container 300 which is large enough to containthe holder placed with its rims, which are substantially ring-shaped,being horizontal. FIG. 3A shows the cross section of holder 200 placedwithin container 300.

The container can be made, for example, of silicone. It will beappreciated that multiple holders can be placed in multiple containers,arranged for example similarly to an egg container.

A biocompatible liquid material, such as Epotek353ND is then poured intoholder 200 within the container, until about half the height of theholder. FIG. 3A shows level 308 of the material poured into holder 200,thus creating layer 310.

Then, a solid elevation component such as bumper 312, made ofbiocompatible material for example the same material as used forcreating layer 310 or another material is placed inside the holder, andtag 316 is placed inside the holder on top of bumper 312.

Bumper 312 is required in such cases in which the liquid is thin enoughso that the tag will sink to the bottom of the container if elevation isnot provided. The bumper is structured such that it can be fully putinside the holder, and its height should be about half the height of theholder placed on its rim. In exemplary embodiments, bumper 312 is shapedsubstantially like a cone, having height of about 1.5 mm and radius ofabout 3 mm.

More of the biocompatible liquid is then poured into the holder, up tolevel 320 at which it covers the top rim of the holder, thus creatinglayer 322.

It will be appreciated that the glue fills all the available space,including slots or openings 112 of holder 200 and gap 208 (not shown inFIG. 3A) between holder 200 s sides.

It will be appreciated that the glue that fills openings 112 creates“handles” which extend into the holder and provide extra gripping of thefilling to the holder, without reducing the pressure resistance providedto the holder by the slots. The glue may also pour out through the gapof holder 200. This excess glue is later removed.

Throughout the process of placing the holder in the container and addingthe glue, bumper and tag, the glue is maintained in appropriateconditions. For example, when Epotek353ND is used, the container, holderand glue are warmed to a temperature of about 45° C.

After the assembly of the holder, bumper, tag and glue, the containerwith its content is passed for hardening the liquid. When Epotek353ND isused, hardening can be reached by warming the container to about 80° C.for about half an hour, and then warming it to about 120° C. for aboutanother half an hour. The hardening turns layers 310 and 322 into asingle piece of hardened glue, surrounding the identification tag,excluding the area at which the tag is in touch with bumper 312.

When the glue inside the holder is hardened, the external surface of theholder is polished. Due to the surface tension formed on the top side ofholder 200 when the glue is poured, the top side of the construction isnot an exact plane but is rather dome-like, as indicated by level 320 ofFIG. 3A. Therefore, the top side of the construction and optionally thebottom side are polished as well

Polishing can be performed, for example, by aluminum oxide polishingdevice, such as paper covered with aluminum oxide particles. In someembodiments, relatively small particles of aluminum oxide are used, suchas P1000 or P1200.

After polishing the holder with the glue, bumper and tag, the holder iswashed in order to remove the leftover polishing particles.

At this stage, the holder contains the tag in a stable manner, while notdisrupting RF communication between the tag and an RF transducer. Thetag is stably embedded within a biocompatible material and wrapped by ametal substantially-ring-shaped holder which has an opening such that itdoes not form a closed ring, thus enabling the embedded tag tocommunicate with a transducer. The holder also comprises slots on itsexternal surface to provide better press resistance and better grippingof the biocompatible material to the holder.

Referring now to FIG. 3B, showing a perspective view of the holder withthe tag. Holder 200, having openings 112 has therein bumper 312 and tag316. Bumper 312 and tag 316 are fixed within tag 200 by hardeningmaterial 328 which was hardened. Hardening material 328 is made up oflayer 310 and layer 322 of FIG. 3A.

Referring now to FIG. 3C, showing an elevation view of the holder andtag. FIG. 3B shows the sides of holder 200, with opening 112. Withinholder 200 is bumper 312, on top of which tag 316 is placed. Bumper 312and tag 316 are fixated within holder 200 by hardening material 328,which was hardened.

The holder, together with the tag, the hardened glue and the bumper arereferred to as an identification device. In order to attach the deviceto a tool, first a corresponding location on the tool should bedetermined. The device should be attached such that it will not limitthe tool's functionality. Thus, the device should not limit the tool'susage, and should not interfere with operating the tool, or disturb theperson operating the tool.

The device should be attached at an area in which the tool's shape is asclose as possible to the tool's edge, so that minimum adaptation of thetool is required, and as little as, possible narrow gaps are formedbetween the tool and the device, for aesthetic reasons as well as forelimination the option for dirt amass there-between.

Therefore, after a location is determined for the tag, the tool isretrofitted. The tool is optionally milled in order to adapt its shapeto the shape of the tool, and also for enlarging the contact area. Thetool is then rinsed, and the device is welded to the tool.

Referring now to FIG. 4, showing an exemplary tool with attachedidentification device.

FIG. 4 shows exemplary surgery scissors 400 and device 404 containing anidentification device (not shown). In order to attach device 404 to tool400, tool 400 has been retrofitted at area 408, so that its curve fitsthe perimeter of device 404.

Referring now to FIG. 5, showing a flowchart of the main steps in amethod for generating an identification device to be attached to aholder, and attaching the identification device to a tool.

The method comprises step 504 for obtaining a holder shaped as aC-shaped stratum or an open ring, the holder having openings, step 516for micro-etching the holder, step 532 for fixing or sealing a tag suchas an RF tag within the holder, and step 564 for attaching the holder toa tool.

Step 504 for obtaining an open-ring-like holder with slots or otheropenings, optionally comprises step 508 for obtaining a stratum such asa rectangular piece with openings such as the exemplary embodimentsshown in FIG. 1A or FIG. 1B, and step 512 for curving the rectangularpiece along its long side into a ring shape with an opening, or a Cshape. Curving can be carried out by pressing the rectangular piece.

Micro-etching step 516 optionally comprises attaching a coating layer tothe external surface of one or more holders on step 520. The coating canbe attached for example by threading the holders on an instrument thatexposes only the external surface of each holder, and does not exposeits opening. The external side of the holders can then be coated withglue, a silicone wrap or another coating.

Then on step 524 the internal surface of the holder, including theopening are micro-etched by letting etching fluid flow through theholder.

On optional step 528 the external surface of the holder is exposed bycleaning or otherwise removing the coating placed on step 520.

Tag fixing step 532 optionally comprises optional step 536 for placingthe holder within a container, such as a silicone container. The holderis placed within the container on one of curved rims. On step 540 theholder, within the container, is filled to about half its height withhardening material such as glue, which is used in liquid state and laterhardens into solid state. On optional step 544, an elevating componentsuch as a bumper is placed within the container, and on step 548 the tagis placed on the bumper.

On step 552 the holder is filled to its rim with the hardening material,so as to cover the tag with the hardening material. On optional step 554the hardening material is hardened, thus becoming solid and fixing thetag within the holder. On optional step 556 the excess hardeningmaterial is removed for example by polishing the external side and topside of the holder, and on step 560 the holder is rinsed from leftpolishing particles. The holder, together with the tag, the hardenedglue and optionally the bumper are referred to as an identificationdevice.

In order to attach the identification device to the tool on step 564,first a location has to be determined for placing the holder on the toolon step 568. It will be appreciated that step 568 can be performed oncefor any type of tool, and is not necessarily repeated for each specifictool.

On optional step 572 the tool is retrofitted at the determined locationin order to adapt it to the identification device. Retrofitting mayinclude milling or otherwise removing small parts in order to make thesurface more rough and this more receptive for welding, and in order toadapt the shape of the tool at the determined area to the shape of theidentification device.

On optional step 576 the tool is rinsed from the milling process, and onStep 580 the identification device is welded to the tool.

The disclosed identification device, and the method for preparing andattaching the identification device provide for attaching a tag such asan RF tag to a surgical tool, in order to enable computerized controland maintenance of tools used in surgical environments. Theidentification device is bio compatible and resistant to all processwhich the tools undergo. It will be appreciated that the disclosedidentification device and methods can be used for other environments aswell and are not limited to surgery tools and environments.

It will also be appreciated that many of the steps and processes can beperformed in alternative manners, alternative materials or alternativeprocesses without deviating from the disclosure.

It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that the presentdisclosure is not limited to what has been particularly shown anddescribed hereinabove. Rather the scope of the present disclosure isdefined only by the claims which follow.

What is claimed is:
 1. An identification device adapted to be attachedto a tool, comprising: a holder formed as a curved stratum pressed toform a ring shaped enclosure enclosing a void, the holder having anexternal surface for attaching to the tool and an internal surfacesurrounding the void; an identification tag is embedded inside the voidsurrounded by the internal surface of the holder, hardening materialthat is used to fill the void fixing the identification tag so that itis surrounded by the internal surface of the holder; wherein the deviceis configured to identify the tool using the identification tag; andwherein the curved stratum surrounds the identification tag leaving anopening thereon to form an open ring.
 2. The identification device ofclaim 1 further comprising an elevation component placed within theholder such as to avoid exposure of the identification tag from above orbelow the ring shaped enclosure formed by the curved stratum.
 3. Theidentification device of claim 1 wherein the hardening material is a biocompatible material.
 4. The identification device of claim 1 wherein theidentification tag is a radio frequency (RF) tag.
 5. The identificationdevice of claim 1 wherein the external surface and the internal surfaceare substantially concentric.
 6. The identification device of claim 1,wherein the identification device is made from a material that isattachable to the tool by a laser welding process.
 7. The identificationdevice of claim 1, wherein the internal surface of the holder ismicro-etched.
 8. An identification device adapted to be attached to atool, comprising: a holder formed as a curved stratum pressed to form asubstantially ring shaped enclosure enclosing a void, the holder havingan external surface for attaching to the tool and an internal surfacesurrounding the void; an identification tag is embedded inside the voidsurrounded by the internal surface of the holder; hardening materialthat is used to fill the void fixing the identification tag so that itis surrounded by the internal surface of the holder; wherein the deviceis configured to identify the tool using the identification tag; andwherein the curved stratum has a C-shaped cross-section.